Barrett's life is falling apart at the seams: his wife has left him, taking their twin sons, and he is confined to desk duty because of failing performance. When Barrett and his partner Cricket are finally assigned to a new case involving a brutally murdered man and possible illegal activities, they gladly accept it even though it looks like it will be a dead end. They could not have been more wrong. The case instead leads Barrett to Dead Man's Bay, a village of fisherman so out of the way that Barrett almost doesn't find it and then wishes he never had. He not only has to face quicksand and cottonmouth moccasins, but a mystery that keeps getting deeper and more dangerous. Barrett must rely on his courage and intelligence to not only solve the crime, but save his life and the lives of those around him in a place that lives up to its name.